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yoinkdersplat · 03-06-2003, 09:48 PM

All in all, Wizardry 8 CAN be an enjoyable game. The major problems I have with it are as follows:

Practice-based skill system -
Wizardry 8 is based on one of those tedium-inducing systems that forces you to practice your skills to improve. At level up you can choose to improve skills slightly which helps overcome this issue, but personally I would rather this was left out or optional. I'd have liked having the option to purchase skill points from a trainer/store or something. I really used to like these systems until I wasted away part of my life playing Everquest for a few months (when it came out long ago).

Excruciatingly long battles -
Some battles can take an EXTREMELY long time to complete. Even after turning up all options including little things like changing the camera to snap instead of PAN to improve speed you still have to wait for each monster to decide to do something, then you have to wait for it to move, then do whatever it wants to IN TURN. I have come to the conclusion that this has nothing to do with processor power. Apparantly there is a utility available that helps circumvent this problem (I think it's called wizfast).

The graphics are somewhat dated, but frankly when playing an RPG that is the least of my concerns.

Initially I had a lot of problems with the game, but on my newer machine I haven't had any crashes running on Windows XP.

What you may find that holds true in many games is that character/party suggestions made on bulletin boards and information sites should only be taken worth a grain of salt. Often times what is said is either not true or exagerated significantly. An example of this would be people who say it doesn't take long to raise all of your magic skills to 90+. I actually saw a post that stated it can be in in less than two "game" hours. Make a party you WANT to play, not what other's suggest. You DO NOT need to make uber characters in this game. I eventually settled on parties that have NO real casters or hybrids (not including the bard/gadgeteer), because I found they weren't needed and it made the game more fun. The most enjoyable game I played through was with a duo of Gadgeteer and Bard. The problem with this is you need to know where to find most of their equipment in the first place and I'm one of those people who likes casters more than anything else in roleplaying games.

I guess those are mostly negative comments, but since most of the posts in this message are of a positive note, I think it's already covered.

Anyway, whatever you choose, have fun...

03-06-2003, 09:48 PM	#6
yoinkdersplat Elite Waterdeep Guard Join Date: January 4, 2002 Location: Michigan Age: 48 Posts: 8	All in all, Wizardry 8 CAN be an enjoyable game. The major problems I have with it are as follows: Practice-based skill system - Wizardry 8 is based on one of those tedium-inducing systems that forces you to practice your skills to improve. At level up you can choose to improve skills slightly which helps overcome this issue, but personally I would rather this was left out or optional. I'd have liked having the option to purchase skill points from a trainer/store or something. I really used to like these systems until I wasted away part of my life playing Everquest for a few months (when it came out long ago). Excruciatingly long battles - Some battles can take an EXTREMELY long time to complete. Even after turning up all options including little things like changing the camera to snap instead of PAN to improve speed you still have to wait for each monster to decide to do something, then you have to wait for it to move, then do whatever it wants to IN TURN. I have come to the conclusion that this has nothing to do with processor power. Apparantly there is a utility available that helps circumvent this problem (I think it's called wizfast). The graphics are somewhat dated, but frankly when playing an RPG that is the least of my concerns. Initially I had a lot of problems with the game, but on my newer machine I haven't had any crashes running on Windows XP. What you may find that holds true in many games is that character/party suggestions made on bulletin boards and information sites should only be taken worth a grain of salt. Often times what is said is either not true or exagerated significantly. An example of this would be people who say it doesn't take long to raise all of your magic skills to 90+. I actually saw a post that stated it can be in in less than two "game" hours. Make a party you WANT to play, not what other's suggest. You DO NOT need to make uber characters in this game. I eventually settled on parties that have NO real casters or hybrids (not including the bard/gadgeteer), because I found they weren't needed and it made the game more fun. The most enjoyable game I played through was with a duo of Gadgeteer and Bard. The problem with this is you need to know where to find most of their equipment in the first place and I'm one of those people who likes casters more than anything else in roleplaying games. I guess those are mostly negative comments, but since most of the posts in this message are of a positive note, I think it's already covered. Anyway, whatever you choose, have fun...